Apertured and stepped game board



March M, 19% R. NEILSQN APERTURED AND STEPPED GAME BOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed Sept. 24, 1 947 INVENTOR. ROGER NEILSON I7 5 Fig. 2.

March 114, 11950 R. NEILSON ZEWWM;

APERTURED AND STEPPED GAME BOARD Filed Sepia. 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN T OR.

Patented Mar. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .3 Claims.

This invention relates to a game apparatus which is adapted to play games where surface projectiles are used.

An object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus of unique design which is adapted to be used as a target toward which surface projectiles are rolled to obtain a score in the course of a game played with this type of apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus including a stepped ramp on which surface projectiles are rolled, and a score obtained by the location of the projectile of one of the steps of the ramp.

With the above and other objects and advantages in View, the invention consists of the novel details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a game apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line l l of Figure 3 and Figure 5 is a rear view of the apparatus.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 18 generally designates the game apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

The apparatus resembles a staircase and comprises the stair horses or vertical side members II and i2 respectively on which are mounted the treads or stair steps l3.

The treads are mounted in overlapped relation to each other so that the risers it are reversely disposed to the treads, descending from the upper edge of the treads rather than rising from the upper edge. Thus the treads, by this construction, form pockets which are of the length of the treads and are the width of the treads and each pocket formed by the treads is given a numerical value, as shown at 15, which progresses upwardly to the top tread of the apparatus.

The first tread it of the staircase forms an upwardly inclined ramp leading to the treads or pockets formed by the treads, and it is up this ramp that a surface projectile is rolled to eventually rest in one of the pockets.

The upper inclined edges of the stair horses H and [2 are provided with vertical horizontal shaped strip flanges H, which extend above the treads to prevent the projectiles from falling ofi of the stairs endwise thereof, and a strip member or back stop I8 is secured to the rear ends of the flanges I? to prevent the projectiles from falling off of the top of the straircase.

Secured to the treads I3, in opposed relation to the stair horse i2, is an intermediate stair horse l8, while a second intermediate stair horse 1.! is secured to the treads 13 in opposed relation to the stair horse I l Secured to the inner Walls of the stair horses 18 and It at a depending inclination thereto is the ramp 20 which, together with these stair horses and the treads, forms a compartment 26. Access to this compartment is obtained through the medium of a curved entrance opening 22 which is formed in the center of the center tread, as shown in Figure 1.

Thus should a projectile enter this opening, a big score will be obtained, and the projectile would drop into the compartment 2!. Triangular shaped supports 23 are secured to the ramp 2D to support the ends of the treads which are free from support due to the opening 22 being formed in the tread.

The stair horses l8 and I9 have wing portions 24 and 25 respectively formed on the rear vertical edge thereof. To these wing portions are secured the strips 26 and 21 respectively, which are spaced from each other vertically to form a groove to receive the vertically sliding door 28, which closes the compartment 2! to retain the projectile therein. A lift strip 29 secured to the upper edge of the door permits sliding of the door to retrieve the projectile from the compartment.

Secured to the lower edges at the rear of the stairs are the spacing strips 38 and 3] respectively, which space the stair horses 92 and 18' from each other, and the horses H and I9 from each other.

In playing a game with this apparatus, the projectile is rolled over a level surface toward the apparatus. The ramp It provides an easy path over which the projectile will travel to reach the treads l3. In View of the overlapping condition of the treads, pockets are formed in which the projectiles finally rest, and each pocket is provided with a score indicia. The back stop and flanges prevent the projectiles from falling ofi of the treads so that unless the projectiles roll back down the treads, a score is always made.

Should a projectile enter the opening 22, it will drop into the compartment 2!, and a high score will be made, the ramp 28 causing the projectile to roll downwardly toward the door 28 so that when the door is slid upwardly, the projectile will bereturned to the player.

The game apparatus can be made of any suitable material, and any number of games may be played with any number of projectiles and any predetermined total score for the game.

Marbles have been found to be Very suitable projectiles for playing the game if made in small sizes, but larger sizes can be made to use larger projectiles.

Th above description is believed to have fully acquainted those skilled in the art with the construction and manner of use of the apparatus, and it is to be understood that changes in the minor details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts may be resorted to, provided they fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A game apparatus of the type described formed to resemble the shape of a staircase having sides provided with inclined upper longitudinal edges, a back stop secured at its opposite @is to the upper edges of said sides to space said sides in parallel relation to each other with the inclination of the longitudinal edges of the sides descending downwardly from the upper edge of the back stop, strip members secured at their opposite ends to said sides I in overlapping relation to each other with the rear edge of the members overlapping the next succeeding lower edge of the next strip member to form pockets, a compartment provided beneath the strip members, an entrance opening to said compartment in one of said strip members, and a sliding door for said compartment to gain access to the rear of said compartment.

2. The invention as in claim 1, wherein scoring indicia is placed on each strip member, and a scoring indicia is provided for the opening -0r said compartment.

3. The invention as in claim 1, wherein an upwardly inclined ramp is secured at its opposite ends at the lower-most ends of said sides.

ROGER NEILSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 271,530 Spang Jan. 30, 1883 722,603 Morgan Mar. 10, 1903 1,340,612 Hudson May 18, 1920 1,591,064 Weisberg July 6, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 445,370 Great Britain Apr. 18, 1936 

